Hypothesis
The question I’ll be posing:
How effective are recycling programs at trapping plastic waste from entering waterways and, ultimately, the ocean? Which practices are working and where could improvements be made?
My hypothesis:
Recycling programs are not completely efficient at keeping consumer plastic waste from the ocean.
I will, throughout the next several weeks, be explaining why exactly this matters by talking about the adverse effects plastic has on the environment, marine organisms and people. I’ll also give a history of plastics recycling, a very brief synopsis of the mechanics behind recycling (too much chemistry makes me cranky) and some info on what exactly is out there (what are scientists collecting when they do beach surveys??).
Note: This is not a “typical” research paper, it’s more of a review of the situation and some ideas for improvement in the future. There will be no “methods” or but I will have data to present (compiled from a multitude of sources) and hopefully by the end of this, I along with whoever chooses to follow along with me, will have a better understanding of this problem!
In celebration of Mardi Gras, I and my roommates will be concocting a delicious dish of Jambalaya, so I must take a break from the plastics business~
Ryan